LA Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert praised the performance shown by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons at both teams’ joint training on Thursday.
It was when Herbert matched up head-to-head against Parsons that made the 24-year-old footballer voice his opinion about the linebacker’s play. Herbert said that Parsons was “special” according to his performance.
“I don’t know if I have much to offer him,” Herbert said. “He’s much faster, must stronger than me. … He’s a great person. I’m really looking forward to watching him this year.”
Across an hour of both teams’ scrimmage, Parsons managed to sack Herbert twice and tackled him, with the drop in coverage.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert on talking to Micah Parsons during practice: “I think he’s about as special as it gets. I don’t know if I have much to offer him. I was just talking to him between play calls. He’s a great person. I’m really looking forward to watching him this year.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 19, 2022
Parsons, who was selected 12th overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, said that playing against Herbert was like facing one of the best QBs in the league, although he has faced several names, like Tom Brady, Kyler Murray, and Patrick Mahomes.
“You know, I think Justin Herbert is a very good quarterback, one of the better quarterbacks, if not top quarterback in the league,” Parsons said.
“Going against him is great comp. I love going against him. I love him as a person. He’s a great dude,” he added.
Herbert threw for 9,350 yards and 69 touchdowns against 25 interceptions during his rookie and sophomore campaigns.
In addition to that, he also recorded other accolades by being named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and getting himself for the Pro Bowl in 2021.
Parsons’ play against Herbert
Parsons faced the Chargers for the first time in Week 2 last season and secured a 20-17 win for the Cowboys. At that time, Parsons managed to hit Chargers’ quarterback four times and sacked Herbert once.
Micah Parsons closing in quickly on Justin Herbert on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/8l6uPj8yn3
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 17, 2022
“What we did, I felt we dominated as a defense,” Parsons said. “That’s just setting the tempo — the tempo and standard for what’s to come this year,” he added.
According to CBS Sport, Parsons said that he was taking the opportunity to learn from Herbert to improve his defensive game. He also said that he was seeking his first career interception this season, and he said that he would not get a chance to do it against Herbert.
“(I’m) just competing with him and just picking at his brain for what he’s seeing out there and what I could do better,” Parsons said.
Joint-training recap
Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott recorded nine passes completion from 16 attempts and threw one passing touchdown to Dalton Schultz and two interceptions.
Prescott was tackled by Mike Davis on a passing attempt to Jalen Tolbert and got intercepted by Kule Van Noy when throwing the ball to Ezekiel Elliott.
Osa & Gallimore meet @ the QB pic.twitter.com/extGE3pK4N
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) August 17, 2022
Besides Parsons, the Cowboys’ defensive lineup included Dante Fowler Jr., Tarrel Basham, Sam Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, and Neville Gallimore. They charted sacks, including two from Parsons and one from Slater, while Williams blitzed Chargers’ QB together with Odighizuwa and Gallimore tackled for multiple times the Chargers’ offensive lineup.
On other hand, the Chargers’ Herbert recorded his passing completion to Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler during 7-on7. According to Fox Sports, Herbert had plenty of success finding his running backs in the passing game.
Following the joint-training session, the Chargers will be up against the Cowboys on Saturday, August 20, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.